Seems our cunning friends who started the scam retreated to a safe harbor in Sarasota, Florida, where their ghost company is registered. I assume they have this webpage in their bookmarks, it gets a couple of hits a day. Here's a printout of the last 3 months of traffic. Hooray for Sarasota! Have a nice pension, you guys!
UPDATE: A fellow reader comments: " Right now they are in Bratislava, Slovakia.
I had the pleasure last week when I went to interview. It was ok, nothing suspicious just absence of specific information about the firm. So I went there for my first shift to know more and guess what. Chris gave me a notebook :)) What a coincidence. Here they hire students for writing videoblogs for hredgselect.tv. Access to read the articles is complicated and the site is being uploaded very slowly all the time.
I found this blog after my first shift (but before signing the Offer letter) and my doubts about them are confirmed. Thanks for this blog. I know you are right because in the firm I noticed many exactly same details you mentioned in your story.
Btw why should the salary be paid through moneybookers.com and not straight to my own bank account? I´m even not going to try to find out.
Btw they have a new Project Leader - Natalie Suvorova. Very nice lady.
Byez"
Seems I underestimated the relentlessness of these people. While there still are numerous hits from Sarasota, Florida, beware of their brand new "business" in Slovakia. Thanks, people, for all your comments. Don't hesitate to post info as soon as you have it. Also, bring this issue to the attention of your authorities.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Wrapping it up (or not)
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7 comments:
The smart fellows have moved their laundry ops to eastern europe. Thanks for keeping this blog going!!
Right now they are in Bratislava, Slovakia.
I had the pleasure last week when I went to interview. It was ok, nothing suspicious just absence of specific information about the firm. So I went there for my first shift to know more and guess what. Chris gave me a notebook :)) What a coincidence. Here they hire students for writing videoblogs for hredgselect.tv. Access to read the articles is complicated and the site is being uploaded very slowly all the time.
I found this blog after my first shift (but before signing the Offer letter) and my doubts about them are confirmed. Thanks for this blog. I know you are right because in the firm I noticed many exactly same details you mentioned in your story.
Btw why should the salary be paid through moneybrookers.com and not straight to my own bank account? I´m even not going to try to find out.
Btw they have a new Project Leader - Natalie Suvorova. Very nice lady.
Byez
I was there at the beginning of the foundry, in 2003. I'm french. I had no experience in IT except from my engineering school. It was a dark period for recruitment, due to 9/11.
So when I got the foundry opportunity, I decided to test it. I had nothing to lose and so much to discover and learn.
I met Frederic Artru and another guy with was the only "employee" of the foundry, a very good engineer which had already been enroled and brainwashed ;). They all speaked english. It was the occasion to rise my english level so why not.
I learned a lot with Java/Flash programmation and networking from this guy. I mean really.
From Frederic Artru, I learned to ask myself the right questions. What do you want in life, etc. A bit esoteric... but it was good.
I got through Christopher and Frederic visions, orders, anger. It was interesting to experience all these things because it's always great to meet leaders, even if there are fake. Not knowing what to respond to Fred yelling because there so much to say... Beginning with Cantell Law and the time value. Priceless I tell you.
After 3 or 4 months I had an job opportunity although I was not searching for one anymore. And guess : I was hesitating! I enjoyed the experience of the Foundry, and not being paid and having no contract didn't bothered me this much.
Fortunately, my girlfriend at that time told me I should stop, because I wasn't being paid and wtf and so on. She was so right. Looking back, I would have been a fool to continue this.
I now have 4 years of experience in Java and J2ee and companies are struggling for my CV. But I remember of this wonderful experience at the foundry. I get all I could get from this.
Natalie and another girl arrived later on, just before I left the Foundry. She was living at my home with the other guy and this other girl. We had good times together in the sunny streets of Pau.
My conclusion : although it was good for me at the moment I accepted the invitation, I don't recommend the foundry. It's a trap. To finish with an example, and although I had no contract with the Foundry, they refused that I get back home, saying there was work to be done here. Hey pal, after all if you want me to do your job, pay me! So I did get back home to apply for the job a company proposed to me, they hired me, and here I am.
If you want to go to the Foundry, do it, but remember you must remain free, in your head and your bank account.
sorry, spelling mistake - it´s hredgeselect.tv (I forgot to add E in it before)
No shit you had good times in the sunny streets of Pau! I can tell a fake blog from a real one from a mile...Frederic stop posting fake posts about The Foundry...esoteric?Chris Cantell can't spell his name right, he thinks Goethe is a chocholate brand..where did the esoteric come frommmm/???...duhhh..idiots...
can someone assist me with this burning question? how the hell does the foundry/sigex/whatever make MONEY? i mean, how do these guys put food on the table? last i checked, bull shit wasn't too nutritious.
I spent two months there, long time ago, and I asked the same question. Fred couldn't even understand what I'm asking :) And I just said: how exactly do you make money? what is your product? who buys it? Can I buy it in ANY kind of the shop...
Well, he was just giving me bullshit about intellectual property and patents. I was so amused... I even heard a story about a guy from UK who came and left on the same day (LOL). Although sigex and foundry is a massive bullshit I had good time there. Met great people and saw France and Spain. This blog is cool. Keep it alive.
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